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How to mount an anvil so the face does not skate off

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have just set a bench anvil on the worktop, and the first hammer blow sends it skating. The face marks the timber, the casting rings, and the next blow lands off the spot you wanted. How to mount an anvil is the job of fixing that tool to something heavier than the blow, at a height your knuckles can find. A 400 g jewellery horn and a forging anvil do not share one method. The [anvil comparison](/hub/hand-tools/anvil) lines up the listings this page uses. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listing text and UK reviews. We did not measure these anvils in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have just set a bench anvil on the worktop, and the first hammer blow sends it skating. The face marks the timber, the casting rings, and the next blow lands off the spot you wanted.

Our top picks

Beadsmith Beadsmith miniature horn anvil

Best overall

Beadsmith Beadsmith miniature horn anvil
8.6/10about £16.99
View offer
Draper Draper 4.5 kg single bick anvil

Alternative

Draper Draper 4.5 kg single bick anvil
6.5/10about £36.56
View offer
QWORK QWORK 3 inch steel bench block

Rank 3

QWORK QWORK 3 inch steel bench block
5.8/10about £9.85
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two different mounts
  2. 2.Set the face to your knuckles
  3. 3.What these anvils give you to fix
  4. 4.Before the first blow
  5. 5.When mounting will not fix the anvil

Two different mounts

A jewellery horn wants a solid wood block you can screw down. A forging anvil wants its own floor stand, because a rigid share of the bench passes the shock into the vice and the wall. Forge Starter’s guide, for a full anvil with feet, uses chain or straps over the feet and turns the horn to your non-dominant side. That direction is workshop practice, not a British Standard. You can screw a mini horn to a wood block. You should not bury a stump for a Beadsmith. A thin plywood top will drum even when the bolts are tight.

Set the face to your knuckles

Stand as you will work, let the arm hang, and close a loose fist. The face should meet your knuckles. That is the rule of thumb in the Forge Starter guide and in the FAO note. Forge Starter also gives a band of about 71–86 cm for many adults. Measure your own arm. If you add a 40 mm timber pad afterwards, the knuckle test has to be done again. Stamps and wire belong on the anvil for jewellery making page.
Beadsmith Beadsmith miniature horn anvil

Testsieger

Beadsmith Beadsmith miniature horn anvil
8.6/10about £16.99
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What these anvils give you to fix

The Draper 35481 is a bolt-down pattern. A UK review reports four cut-outs, and the box does not include a stand. The VEVOR 10 kg listing says the casting can be bolted down. A UK review says the holes are awkward, and that owner chained it instead. A slack chain lets the anvil creep. UK reviews of the Beadsmith say to screw it to a solid wood base. QWORK supplies a removable rubber base. Rubber resists skate, and it also soaks rebound. Light stamping can want that. Forging does not.

Before the first blow

KATSU castings in this set have sharp machined edges, and a reviewer used emery before leather work. Oil on a jewellery face transfers into the finding, so leave that face dry. A horn you will heat should not keep a thick coat on the striking face, because the hammer flakes it into the work. If you employ other people, duties under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 can apply. This page has no decibel figure for these anvils.

When mounting will not fix the anvil

A 10 kg casting chained to the bench is still 10 kg. The chain stops the walk. It does not turn the VEVOR into a forging anvil, and it does not give a 400 g horn enough mass to move hot steel. If the face dishes under ordinary blows, or the rebound stays dead however hard you bolt the block, you are looking at a buying problem. A buried stump will not repair a face that is already too small. Change the anvil when the bench or your wrist is taking the shock the face should have taken.

Common questions

What height should the anvil face be?
Set the face to knuckle height. Stand as you will work, hang your arm and close a loose fist, and the face should meet those knuckles. Forge Starter quotes about 71–86 cm for many adults. Measure your own arm rather than copying that band. A jeweller who sits uses a lower face than a smith who stands. Add any pad before you lock the height, because 40 mm of timber moves the face by 40 mm.
Can I bolt a small anvil to my wood bench?
Yes, if the anvil is a bench casting and the top is stiffer than the blow. The Draper 35481 is a bolt-down pattern, and a UK review reports four cut-outs, with no stand in the box. Drill to those cut-outs and put a washer and nut under the top. A thin plywood sheet will still drum. A full forging anvil with feet belongs on its own stand.
How do I stop a mini horn moving?
Screw it to a solid wood base, which is what UK reviews suggest for the Beadsmith. Screws into a block that cannot skate are enough for a horn around 400 g. If the block itself slides, screw or clamp the block down as well. A rubber pad, such as the QWORK base, helps against skate and also softens rebound. Leave the garden stump for a forging anvil.
Does the Draper include a stand?
No. The Draper 35481 is a bolt-down pattern, and the box does not include a stand. A UK review reports four cut-outs you use to bolt the casting to a bench or a board. You supply the bolts, the washers and the timber. Chaining it to a flimsy table will not replace a proper top.
Why does my anvil ring?
Ringing is the casting and the mount vibrating, and it is separate from rebound. A hard bolt-down on a hollow bench can sound loud and still throw the hammer back. A rubber base can quiet the ring and make the blow feel dead, a poor trade if you are forging and a fair one if you are stamping. Tighten a slack chain before you blame the metal. This page has no decibel reading.

Related pages

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Anvil for jewellery making: stamps, wire and rivets

Sources

Public sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures filed on 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE, Noise at work: advice for employers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. anvilfire, Selecting an Anvil (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. beautifuliron, Anvils (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Waterside Metal, How to buy a quality anvil (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. FAO, Blacksmithing tools: the anvil (retrieved 19 October 2026)